


Method Acting

by fandomshere_fandomsthere



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Squip, Aromantic Asexual Christine Canigula, Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Christine is a being of pure sunshine, M/M, Michael is a Little Shit, Musicals, Pining, but I love him, jeremy has a Big Gay Crush, like it's the musical they're doing, not a Heathers au but Heathers is involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 10:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11895936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomshere_fandomsthere/pseuds/fandomshere_fandomsthere
Summary: Jeremy Heere is a good actor. But there are some things that just don't come naturally, and he needs a little extra nudge from one of the stage technicians to really get into character.





	1. Kind of a Big Deal

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [just some bmc au ideas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216718) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account). 



> I got the idea from canweorderpizza's au ideas! (http://archiveofourown.org/works/11216718/chapters/25274589) I love college aus and I love boyf riends, so heere this is. It's kinda loosely based on the idea though, this turned into its own monster but I love it.
> 
> Anywho, please enjoy!

            Jeremy Heere was a good actor. He knew he was. He’d been obsessed with drama ever since he first tried out for a play in high school to both impress and get closer to his crush. Jeremy found that he loved theater, and so he’d auditioned for the spring semester play. He and his crush, Christine, were closer than ever—even if they weren’t dating. They’d tried for about a month, but Jeremy found he liked her better as a friend. Christine told him she’d figured out she was aro-ace anyway.

            Jeremy and Christine were best friends. They’d decided to go to the same college together, a fine arts college in New York, not too far from their home state of New Jersey. They were both drama majors. Needless to say, they both joined the theater group and were participating in the musical. Jeremy was a tad nervous about the singing part; he’d only ever been in plays, and he wasn’t fond of his singing voice. The directors of the musical clearly were, however.

            “No fucking way,” Jeremy said, deadpan, as he read the cast list.

            “Jeremy! Oh my God! Congrats!” Christine squealed. She bounced up and down, holding on to his arm. “You got the lead! I mean, that’s not really a surprise, you pretty much always got the lead when we were in high school.”

            “Yeah, but that was high school,” Jeremy said. “This is college. An arts college. With drama majors. There are so many people better than me, I don’t—”

            “You’re a drama major too, honey,” Christine reminded him with a pat of his arm. “Come on, Jer! Own it! You got the lead!”

            Jeremy smiled, though he was still unsure. He knew he was a good actor, but he didn’t think he was _that_ good. And besides, his character was so… _different_ from who he really was. He’d listened to _Heathers_ countless times, had scream sung “Meant to be Yours”, watched the bootleg at least three times—but he didn’t think any of that gave him the right qualifications to play J.D. He was such an intense character, to the point where he was almost hysterical at some points. Jeremy knew he could handle the sad parts. It was the angry, psychotic parts of the role he was worried about.

            He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, continuing to read the cast list. He cheered right along with Christine when she saw that she was going to be Heather McNamara. Her fellow Heathers were people neither of them had met before: Jenna Rolan and Chloe Valentine. Christine was excited to meet them. Jeremy saw that Veronica was being played by Brooke Lohst. He hoped and prayed that things wouldn’t be awkward, especially during “Dead Girl Walking.” Oh God. _“Dead Girl Walking.”_

            “Christine I’m going to have to have pretend sex with someone on stage,” Jeremy gasped, clutching his chest. Christine only cackled in response.

* * *

 

            The first rehearsal was the following Saturday. It wasn’t anything too formal; they spent most of the time getting to know their fellow cast members and read through a couple scenes.  Jeremy talked to Rich Goranski and Jake Dillinger, who were going to be Kurt and Ram. Rich was short (though Jeremy didn’t dare say anything about that to his face) and energetic, and Jake was a little taller than Jeremy and exceptionally laid back. He simply _oozed_ cool. Christine chattered away with Chloe and Jenna, and Jeremy had met Brooke. They’d talked for a while, getting to know each other. It made sense—they were going to be two of the biggest roles in the musical. Jeremy liked Brooke. She had a nice smile, and, just like Jeremy, was a little insecure about her acting skills.

            “I know the directors chose me and everything, but I just feel like I don’t have what it takes to play Veronica,” she confessed to Jeremy, picking at her yellow sweater.

            “I feel the same way about me and J.D.,” Jeremy said. “But hey, I’m sure we’ll do fine. They chose us for a reason, right?”

            Brooke smiled. “Right.”

            Jeremy hung back after rehearsal was over. He wandered around the auditorium, getting to know its ins and outs. He figured knowing how to get around would help in the long run. Before long, he’d be able to walk to the dressing rooms, backstage, and out the door with his eyes closed.

            In his wanderings, Jeremy ran into someone backstage. He was fiddling with the lights on the sides of the stage, tilting them to the proper angle. Large white headphones covered his ears, and Jeremy could very faintly hear a Bob Marley song coming from them. He hummed as he worked, pushing his glasses up his nose whenever they started to fall—which was often. He stretched his arms above his head, eyes screwed shut and spine popping. When he opened his eyes and saw Jeremy, he let out a cry of surprise and jumped.

            “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Jeremy began, face already starting to feel warm.

            “Jesus, man!” the other man wheezed, hand fisted in his red hoodie over his heart. “How long have you been standing there?” He realized he was shouting and slid the headphones off, letting them curl around his neck.

            “Uh—just a minute I guess?” Jeremy replied. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just didn’t want to interrupt what you were doing and I’ve always been kinda interested in how stage lighting works anyway so I thought that maybe if I watched what you were doing I could—”

            “Slow down, it’s okay,” the other said with a chuckle. “You look like you’re going to pass out. You good?”

            Jeremy nodded, and the light worker smiled. His teeth were impossibly white, a wonderful contrast with his caramel skin. He approached Jeremy, hand outstretched, and Jeremy had to look up to look him in the eye while they shook hands. That was new. Jeremy wasn’t the tallest person in the world, but most of the people he knew were shorter than him.

            “The name’s Michael Mell.”

            “J-Jeremy Heere.”

            Michael’s smile brightened and his eyebrows raised slightly. “Hey, you’re our J.D.!”

            “Yeah,” Jeremy said with a sheepish smile. “I, uh—don’t think I saw you at rehearsal.”

            “Oh, yeah, I couldn’t make it today,” Michael said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “Financial aid shit, you know the drill.” Jeremy nodded.

            “I didn’t your name on the cast list either. Are you in the ensemble?” Michael threw his head back slightly and laughed, and Jeremy felt like his insides were melting.

            “Me? Nah, I’m just a techie. I’m usually around making sure all the shit is working so that there aren’t a ton of things to be fixed at once, you know?”

            “That’s a good system. I wish they’d thought of something like that at my high school,” Jeremy said with a small smile. “I don’t think we ever had a performance where all the microphones were working.”

            “That’s high school for you,” Michael said. “The theater department wouldn’t let me _touch_ the lights and the audio until I was a junior. Said I was ‘too irresponsible.’” He made air quotes and sneered, and Jeremy laughed.

            “But guess what happened when they let me mess around with it?”

            “Everything went smoothly?” Jeremy guessed.

            “Exactly!” Michael threw his hands in the air, and Jeremy laughed again. Michael chuckled along with him, and soon they were both laughing at nothing in an empty auditorium.

            “You seem way too cool to play J.D.,” Michael said after a few minutes, clutching his stomach.

            Jeremy blushed. “Thanks. I’m not that cool though.”

            “You’ve gotta be better than that asshole. I mean, seriously. The first time I listened to _Heathers_ I stopped getting slushies for like a month!”

            “Is…that a big deal?” Michael put a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder, his face suddenly blank.

            “Jeremiah Heere,” he said in a serious tone, “did you just ask me if slushies were a big deal?”

            “I—I guess?” Jeremy stuttered.

            “You come into _my_ auditorium. You disrespect _my_ way of life.” Michael sighed dramatically, putting the back of his hand on his forehead. “I guess I’ll just have to teach you my ways.” He walked past a very confused Jeremy.

            “What?”

            “C’mon. We’re going to 7/11,” Michael said with a mischievous grin.


	2. Freeze Your Brain

            The first thing Jeremy noticed about Michael’s car was the stale smell of weed. It was a beat-up little PT Cruiser, one that the stage technician had obviously had for years. The letters on the radio buttons were mostly worn away, and the cloth seats were soft from use. An eight-bit heart charm swung from the rearview mirror, and several bumper stickers decorated the back. Normally, Jeremy would have felt a tad uneasy at riding in a very old looking car with a person he’d met fifteen minutes ago, but he had a good feeling about Michael.

            And _no,_ it wasn’t just because Jeremy thought he was cute.

            “I like your car,” Jeremy said as they got in.

            Michael raised an eyebrow at him as he started the ignition and pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie. “You don’t have to flatter me. I know it’s a hunk-a-junk.”

            “No, really!” Jeremy insisted. “It’s cozy.” Michael nodded and hummed at this, a slight smile on his lips. They drove out of the theater parking lot in silence.

            “So, uh…you like video games?” Jeremy asked after a few minutes.

            “Is the whole Legend of Zelda timeline confusing, especially with the way it splits in two in Ocarina of Time?” Michael said. When Jeremy just stared at him, he smirked and added, “The answer is yes.”

            “Okay, cool,” Jeremy said. “Have you played Breath of the Wild yet?”

            “Dude, no!” Michael exclaimed. “It really sucks because I have a Switch and everything but _somehow_ they’re out of stock on Amazon and in every Game Stop and other game store I’ve been to!”

            Jeremy bit his lip. “You could borrow my copy if you want.”

            Michael’s head snapped over to him. Thank God they were at a red light. “Really?”

            “Yeah,” Jeremy said with a smile. “Hell, maybe I could watch you play. Like Game Grumps or something.”

            “You’re definitely lanky enough to be Danny,” Michael said with a laugh. Jeremy blushed and rolled his eyes at that.

            The conversation turned to video games, and they talked the whole way to 7/11. Jeremy found out that Michael absolutely _adored_ Mario Galaxy but thought the second one wasn’t as good, that he cried at the end of Shadow of the Colossus, and that Apocalypse of the Damned was his favorite video game of all time. Jeremy was ecstatic to hear that—he’d never found anyone else who had heard of the game or its two sequels, let alone played them. They talked about how the Apocalypse Trilogy was a pioneer for games that had come after it.

            “It’s hard as fuck without a second player,” Jeremy said as the bell on the convenience store door jingled.

            “Yeah, I know,” Michael said. “I’m pretty sure it was designed to be a co-op.” He looked at Jeremy out of the corner of his eye. “Do you…maybe wanna try out the multiplayer mode?”

            “Sure!” Jeremy said, perhaps a bit too eagerly. “We could do that when you borrow Breath of the Wild. Maybe you could play that for a bit and then we could play Apocalypse of the Damned?”

            “Sounds like a plan.” Michael was grinning again. Jeremy blushed and followed him to the Slurpee machine.

            “So…Slurpees.”

            “Slushies, Jeremy.”

            “Aren’t they the same thing?”

            “Yes. But slushie sounds a lot cooler and doesn’t promote any one business, so we’re not supporting the oppressive machine of capitalism.”

            “I’m not sure that’s how that works,” Jeremy said. Michael shrugged.

            “Now, to really get into the part of J.D., there are a few things you need to understand about him,” Michael said, one hand behind his back and his other index finger raised, mimicking a teacher giving a lecture. “One of these things is his love for frozen, typically fruit flavored beverages known as slushies. What’s your poison?”

            Jeremy scanned the flavor selection, wrinkling his nose at the Mountain Dew option. He’d never liked the taste of it, and it always gave him headaches and upset his stomach. Maybe there was too much caffeine. He decided on a blue raspberry one instead. Michael nodded in approval and got his own slushie, half cherry and half watermelon. He explained that he always ate cherry and watermelon Airheads together, so he figured the flavors would combine just as well in a slushie. They paid for their drinks and sat on a metal bench outside the store.

            “Freeze your brain,” Jeremy said, knocking his slushie against Michael’s. Michael grinned in response and took a large sip. Jeremy took a smaller one, not wanting to actually get brain freeze. The burst of cold blue raspberry that hit his tongue was refreshing in the late summer haze.

            “So which dorm are you in?” Michael asked.

            “The Harrington building, room 3-12,” Jeremy responded.

            “No way. I’m in the same one! First floor though. 1-20,” Michael said.

            “How have we never run into each other before?”

            Michael’s face might have darkened a shade, but Jeremy wasn’t sure. “Uh…come to think of it, I think I might have seen you around campus a few times? I mean, we’re only like, a couple weeks into the semester you know. Plus, freshman year. Kinda goes by in a blur.”

            Jeremy nodded. “Makes sense. God, you’re lucky. You don’t have to climb any stairs.”

            “True.” Michael shrugged. “I would have rather been on the fourth floor though. Then I might have been in room 4-20.” Jeremy groaned, and Michael laughed.

            “I’ve changed my mind, I don’t want to be friends with you,” Jeremy grumbled.

            “Awww, you wanted to be friends?” Jeremy didn’t say anything. “Seriously dude, did you?”

            “Yeah,” Jeremy said in a small voice. “I mean, you seem really cool and you like Apocalypse of the Damned. Plus you kind of have to be my friend if I’m letting you borrow Breath of the Wild. I don’t just lend that out to anyone.”

            “Fair,” Michael said. He took another drink of his slushie before continuing. “I’m, uh…I’m glad you want to be friends. I want to be friends too. Even if you do think slushies aren’t a big deal.”

            “I’m starting to change my mind.”

            Michael laughed, and Jeremy hoped his face wasn’t as red as the cherry slushie in Michael’s cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cherry and watermelon Airheads together are amazing.
> 
> Also Jer and Michael love Game Grumps FIGHT ME


	3. Paper Airplanes and Legend of Zelda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are very mild Breath of the Wild spoilers in this chapter! Like, mild to the point that I think it's kind of common knowledge if you've heard of the game at all.

            At the next musical rehearsal, they read the whole script. The vocal director guided them through the songs, which sounded horrible. Jeremy prayed they would be better in a few weeks. He, Christine, and Brooke didn’t have too much trouble with their parts; they’ve all listened to the soundtrack before. In fact, Christine had been blasting “Candy Store” on the walk over to the theater. Jeremy made it through “Freeze Your Brain” with only a few stutters, which he considered a success. He saw Michael standing in the wings, smiling with his arms crossed over his chest. He gave Jeremy a thumbs-up when he looked over.

            They were reading the scene where Kurt and Ram died now. Ram had already been shot, and now J.D. was chasing after him.

            “Get off the fence. Get off the damn fence!” Jeremy shouted, glaring at Rich. Rich opened his mouth to say his line, but the director cut him off.

            “Try that again, Jeremy,” she said.

            Jeremy nodded timidly. “Get off the fence. Get off the damn fence!” He’d added more volume, thinking that would work, but the director got up from her chair at the front of the stage.

            “Try it like this.” She turned to face Rich, miming holding a gun, her teeth bared in a snarl. “Get off the fence. Get _off_ the _damn fence!”_ She was just as loud as Jeremy had been, but her voice was so harsh, her eyes were wild, and her teeth were still bared. Rich looked a little paler than he had a few seconds ago. The director gestured to Jeremy, who tried the line a third time. The director sighed a little and said, “We’ll work on that.”

            Jeremy’s face burned. He wanted to hide his face in his book, but that would have been even more embarrassing. Instead, he finished reading the scene and sang through the rest of “Our Love is God” with Brooke. The end of the song signaled the end of act one, and the cast was given a ten-minute break. As soon as Jeremy stood up to stretch, a paper airplane hit him in the back of the head, startling him. He looked behind him to see Michael standing there innocently, hands clasped in front of him. Jeremy rolled his eyes and threw the airplane back.

            “The Hell was that about?” he asked, approaching Michael in the wings.

            “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the stage technician said. “Oh hey, I got you something.” He handed Jeremy a blue raspberry slushie.

            “Thanks,” he said as he took a sip. “So you up for Apocalypse tonight?”

            “You know it!” Michael grinned and drank from his own slushie, a plain cherry this time. “Breath of the Wild first though?”

            “Definitely. It’s going to blow your mind, dude.”

            “Don’t tell me anything! I’ve avoided everything Zelda for like, months just so I wouldn’t be spoiled. For _anything._ Do you know how much self-control it took me to not watch the Grumps play it?” He pointed at Jeremy with his slushie. “Serious discipline.”

            Jeremy grinned. “Oh, so you don’t know that—”

            “I won’t hesitate, bitch.”

            Jeremy burst out laughing just as he was taking another drink, and slushie came out of his nose. It was cold but burned at the same time. He heard Michael shout “oh shit!”, which only made him laugh harder. He stopped when his nose really started to burn, though. Michael handed him a paper towel from a roll that was in the wings in case of accidental spills (whether from a cup or a nose), and Jeremy murmured his thanks before blowing his nose into it. God, that felt better.

            “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen,” Michael said as Jeremy wiped the rest of the slushie off his face. Jeremy smiled and rolled his eyes.

* * *

 

            After rehearsal, Jeremy headed to his dorm building with Michael. Christine had bid him goodbye just as it was ending. She, Chloe, Jenna, and Brooke were going to have a sleepover to get to know each other better. Jeremy smiled after her as she skipped away, glad she was making friends. It had been a little hard for her in high school—for both of them really. But now they were both branching out.

            “My roommate’s going to be with his girlfriend tonight, so we don’t have to worry about him,” Michael said when they walked in the building.

            “Cool,” Jeremy said. “Hey, by the way, why did you keep throwing stuff at me?” After the first paper plane had made contact, someone (Michael) had kept throwing things at Jeremy: a pencil stub, a balled-up paper towel, the empty paper towel roll, more paper airplanes, and a rubber band. That one had stung. He was pretty sure there was a small welt on the back of his neck now.

            “What? What do you mean?” Michael asked, an eyebrow raised.

            “Dude, I _watched_ you make like ten paper airplanes.”

            “I have no knowledge of this.” As Michael spoke, he took a small paper airplane out of the pocket of his hoodie and threw it ahead of them.

            “Then where did you get that?” Jeremy was beginning to get frustrated.

            “I found it.”

            Jeremy shook his head and decided to drop it. Maybe Michael hadn’t been the one doing it after all. It was unlikely, since Jeremy had been sitting in the back and the only way someone (again, Michael) would have been able to hit him in the back of the head was if they were on the stage right wing. That was where Michael always stood when he wasn’t checking any of the equipment.

            Michael snapped him out of his thoughts. “Hey, do you need to go up to your dorm?”

            “Nope. I brought the game with me in case we played tonight,” Jeremy said.

            “Sweet!”

            Michael led him to the end of one of the halls on the first floor, to a door that had the number twenty on it in white painted letters. Michael unlocked the door and stepped inside, motioning for Jeremy to follow. Jeremy tightened his grip on his bag, suddenly feeling a little nervous. He and Michael had texted each other and hung out in the student union between classes, but neither of them had been in the other’s dorm before. A tiny voice in the back of his mind whispered that Michael wouldn’t like hanging out with him for more than an hour or so, that he’d get boring after a while. Jeremy shook his head slightly and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

            Michael’s dorm looked almost identical to his own. The sheets were different, and there were different posters on the walls, but there were the same two beds and two desks along with a television and a couple game consoles. Michael flopped on the bed with red sheets, kicking his shoes off with a content sigh. Jeremy stood awkwardly in the center of the room after he took off his bag.

            “You uh…you okay?” Jeremy asked.

            “Oh, yeah, just…need a minute,” Michael said. He took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, letting out a small sigh. “Go ahead and put the game in. Take whichever bean bag.”

            Jeremy nodded and took Breath of the Wild out of his bag. He kept stealing glances at Michael as he turned on the Switch and put in the game, making sure to put Mario Kart back in its case. He wanted to ask Michael what was wrong, but he still didn’t know him all that well, so he felt like it would be rude to pry. As soon as he flopped on the bean bag, Michael sat in the one next to him. He’d taken his hoodie off and was wearing a plain black t-shirt underneath. One that clung to his skin as if he’d been drenched in the rain. Jeremy swallowed.

            “Wait, I don’t get to name my character?” Michael said as he started the game.

            “Nope.”

            “Why not?”

            Jeremy grinned. “Just watch.”

            _Wake up, Link!_ Zelda said from on the screen. Michael gasped softly, his eyes widening.

            “There’s _voice acting,_ ” he said in a reverent tone. Jeremy chuckled and watched his friend rather than the screen. Michael looked, well, absolutely adorable. His hair was tousled from taking off his hoodie, his warm brown eyes were wide, and his cheeks were flushed with excitement. He looked like a little kid on Hanukkah. Jeremy realized he was staring after Michael glanced over at him. Jeremy looked away quickly, blushing furiously.

            “This is so _awesome!_ ” Michael said in his same hushed, amazed tone. “It’s—it’s open world and everything! Where should I go first?!”

            “Zora’s Domain,” Jeremy said. “That’s where I went. My favorite character is there.”

            Michael agreed to go there first, and the two of them chatted while Michael played. Jeremy helped him out with a few shrines here and there, but for the most part he was fine on his own. Michael kept gushing about how good the game was, about how pretty it was, about how he loved that it was open world and he could just dick around. As soon Jeremy told him that he could try to go in Hyrule Castle whenever he wanted, he sprinted there and was dead in the first few seconds. Both of them laughed hysterically as Link was blasted by a guardian while wearing nothing but his underwear.

            Finally, Michael made it to Zora’s Domain. “Holy crap, it’s so pretty,” he said. It started to rain as Link approached the domain, and the game switched to a cutscene.

            _Say, hey there! Young one! Up top, above you!_

“There he is,” Jeremy said.

            “Sidon, huh?” Michael said. “So he’s your favorite?”

            “Yeah!” Jeremy said. “I mean, come on dude. Look at him.”

            “Come on, your girlfriend’s gonna get jealous,” Michael teased, waggling his eyebrows.

            “Girlfriend?”

            “Wait, isn’t Christine your girlfriend?”

            Jeremy laughed. “No, she’s just a friend. We dated in high school, but it didn’t work out. But we’re still really good friends!”

            “Oh, cool,” Michael said. He scratched at his arm.

            “What about you?” Jeremy asked.

            It was Michael’s turn to laugh. “I’m gay, dude. No girlfriend here. Or boyfriend at the moment.”

            “Oh, cool,” Jeremy said, repeating Michael’s words from earlier.

            Michael looked at him. “Did…did you not see the patch on my hoodie?”

            “Which one?”

            Michael grabbed his hoodie from the bed. He pointed at a patch of the gay pride flag on the arm. “I wear this because I am gay.”

            “How did I not notice that,” Jeremy said, deadpan, as he stared at the patch.

            Michael grinned mischievously. “Guess you’re just clueless.”

            “I guess so.” Jeremy grinned back. “It _did_ take me like fifteen years to figure out I was bi.”

            “Sometimes it takes time, man,” Michael said with a shrug. He looked back at the screen, resuming his chat with Sidon. “Hey, you should come to Gay-Straight Alliance. It meets on Tuesdays. There aren’t actually any straight people there, though.”

            “I will if you stop throwing things at me and then pretending not to know anything about it,” Jeremy said.

            “I don’t know anything about that.” Jeremy threw a pillow at his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy's furry ass loves Sidon


	4. I'm Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No panic attacks in this chapter, but Michael is Sad and Not Feeling Well Emotionally. Don't worry, Jeremy is heere to save the day :D

            The next few weeks continued in a steady routine. Classes, lunch with Michael and Christine (and increasingly Rich, Jake, Brooke, Chloe, and Jenna), hang out with Michael in between classes, rehearsal, go to Michael’s dorm after rehearsal and play video games. Jeremy hung out with Michael on other nights besides the gaming ones, too. Sometimes they were in Jeremy’s dorm, sometimes they were in Michael’s, sometimes they were in a coffee shop a couple blocks away from campus that had amazing brownies. Once in a while, Michael and Jeremy would get stoned in Michael’s car.

            Jeremy really liked Michael. He was fun to be around, he was funny, he could rant for hours about anything (usually music), he had similar interests to Jeremy, and he simply had an aura of warmth. The color of his eyes reminded Jeremy of cinnamon. The color of his hair reminded Jeremy of black coffee. Jeremy always pushed these thoughts away. Michael was out of his league, by a long shot. He was too _cool,_ always joking and smiling and blaring his music and singing along. Besides, they were starting to become close friends, and he didn’t want to risk that.

            The vibrating of a phone woke Jeremy up one night. He groaned and groped around on his nightstand until he found his phone. It had stopped vibrating by then, and when Jeremy unlocked it he felt like he was going blind. Once the spots were gone from his vision and he could see the screen, his eyes widened. Ten missed calls from Michael. _Ten._ Just as he was about to call his friend back, the phone rang.

            “Michael?” Jeremy said as it picked up.

            “H-hey Jer,” Michael said. His voice was thick, and it sounded like his nose was stuffed. Oh God, was he crying?

            “Dude, what’s up?” Jeremy sat up. He put on a pair of sweat pants.

            “I hate to be a bother, but could—could you come to—”

            “On my way. Do you want me to stay on the phone?” Jeremy said.

            “No, that’s okay,” Michael sniffed. “You can just come in. Door’s unlocked. Roommate’s not home.”

            “Okay. See you in a sec.” Jeremy stuffed his phone in his pocket and slipped out of his dorm as quickly and quietly as he could, not bothering to put on shoes. It took him two minutes to get to Michael’s dorm and find him on his bed, wrapped in a blanket, glasses off, hair a mess and tears dripping down his face. Jeremy made a beeline for the bed and sat down next to him.

            “Hey,” Michael whispered.

            “Hey,” Jeremy whispered back. “What’s wrong?”

            “I had a really bad panic attack. I…didn’t want to be alone.” Michael looked down at the bed and wrapped the blanket around himself a little tighter.

            “Can I hug you?” Michael responded by coming out of his blanket cocoon and wrapping his arms around Jeremy. Jeremy returned the hug tightly, rubbing soothing circles on Michael’s back. He was shaking.

            “Sorry,” Michael whispered hoarsely.

            “Shhh,” Jeremy hushed. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I’ve had panic attacks before. I know how much they suck.”

            Michael mumbled something that Jeremy didn’t quite catch and buried his face in the shorter man’s shoulder. Jeremy tentatively ran his fingers through Michael’s hair, gauging his reaction. He sighed and relaxed slightly, though he was still gripping Jeremy’s shirt in his fists, so Jeremy continued until he was almost completely relaxed.

            “Do you want me to stay?” Jeremy asked softly.

            “You don’t have to,” Michael said.

            “I want to, Mike,” Jeremy replied.

            Michael tightened his arms. “That would be nice.”

            Jeremy smiled. The two of them laid down, and Jeremy pulled the covers over them. He hugged Michael close again, whispering, “Is this okay?”

            “Mhm,” Michael sighed. “Thanks, Jer.”

            “No problem.”

            “Hey…Jeremy?”

            “Yeah?”

            “You’re—you’re my best friend.”

            Jeremy smiled. “You’re my best friend too.”

            They fell asleep long not after that, wrapped in each other’s arms. When he woke the next morning, Jeremy felt more rested than he had in a long while. Michael was a comforting warmth next to him. Jeremy didn’t try to get up—he didn’t want to wake Michael, and he was on the side of the bed that was pressed up against the wall. He looked at his companion instead, studying his sleeping face. He had a mole under his eye that Jeremy had never noticed, probably due to the glasses. Jeremy continued to admire Michael’s peaceful expression until he started to feel like a creep. He closed his eyes again and waited for Michael to wake up.

            Michael woke up a few minutes later, eyes glossy with sleep. “Mornin’,” he mumbled.

            “Hey. How you feeling?” Jeremy asked.

            “I’m fine now,” the other said with a smile. “Thanks for, uh…being there last night.”

            “No problem,” Jeremy said. “Any time you need me.”

            “Same goes for you.” Michael yawned and closed his eyes again.

            “Going back to sleep?”

            “Shut up, Heere.”

* * *

 

            The two of them got even closer after that night. They talked about their struggles with anxiety, their fears about the future, their concerns that they weren’t good enough, and every other thought that nagged at their minds. Michael was still his happy self, still got excited about buying sodas from the nineties and retro games, but something about him seemed different. More relaxed. More open. He confessed to Jeremy that he wasn’t sure about revealing his anxiety; he was worried that Jeremy would think it was too much to deal with and leave. Jeremy reassured him that he wasn’t going anywhere. Michael had smiled his adorable little half-smile at that, and Jeremy had felt light.

            The two friends grew more physically affectionate as well. They hugged often, they leaned on each other while they were hanging out, they casually had their arms slung across each other’s shoulders. Rich had asked them if they were dating and was met with red faces and stuttered denials. He hadn’t looked too convinced.

            When the thought of dating Michael drifted across Jeremy’s mind, he couldn’t help but blush. He’d thought Michael was cute from the first day he met him, and his little crush had grown until he was full-on pining. The only one he talked to about it was Christine, who had grinned and rambled on about how cute they would be together. Jeremy had blushed harder and harder as she went on until his entire face—along with his ears—were bright crimson. He decided it was best to keep his secret under wraps for a while.

            He accidentally let it slip a week before the opening night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c


	5. Serendipity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of short but I really liked the way it ended and didn't wanna drag it out QwQ

            Jeremy’s prayers that the songs would sound better had been answered. Nearly two months had passed since the first rehearsal, and everyone had improved dramatically in that time. Jeremy had gotten the hang of portraying J.D. as the heinous psychopath (Michael’s words) that he was, and he was far more confident with his singing voice. He could recite his lines from start to finish and backwards. He was ready. The entire cast was ready. But there was always room for improvement.

            Jeremy was in the wings a week before opening night. They were running the show from start to finish, including the intermission. He paced around the wings, dodging props and cast members, reading from his script book and mumbling the lines underneath his breath. He nearly jumped out of his skin when one of the infamous paper airplanes landed on his book. Jeremy looked up to see Michael smiling at him.

            “There’s no way you can deny you threw that at me,” Jeremy said, returning the airplane to sender.

            Michael caught it and grinned. “Alright, I confess. I was throwing shit at you. Have been for weeks.”

            “Why?” Jeremy said incredulously.

            “Well, it made you frustrated, right?”

            “…Yes.”

            “And what did you do with that frustration.”

            “I, uh.” Jeremy thought for a moment. “I channeled it into J.D.?”

            Michael snapped his fingers and pointed at Jeremy, his grin turning from mock innocence to pure shit-eating. “Bingo. I helped.”

            “You—” Jeremy shook his head and smiled, letting out a small huff of laughter. He couldn’t be mad at Michael when he was grinning like that. “You’re lucky you’re cute, you know that?” Michael turned scarlet, and Jeremy’s eyes widened. Well, shit.

            “I’m—what?”

            “Places, everybody!” the director called. “We’re starting in two minutes!”

            Jeremy bolted to his dressing room, leaving Michael standing in the wings.

* * *

 

            He didn’t think about it, he couldn’t think about it, for the rest of rehearsal. Jeremy focused on becoming his character. He hummed his songs while he waited in his dressing room. He drank a slushie that Michael had gotten him before rehearsal—blue raspberry of course. The run through went smoothly, the directors shared their notes, and the actors were sent home. The atmosphere was exhausted, but happy.

            Jeremy waited for Michael in his usual spot, sitting in a chair in the front row of the house, nearest to the side door. He bounced his leg as he waited, listening to the general commotion of tech getting everything set up for the next run and putting everything away. Maybe Michael wouldn’t remember what he’d said before the run. Maybe he wouldn’t take it as Jeremy accidentally sort-of-not-really confessing.

            “Hey.”

            Jeremy looked up from his phone to see Michael smiling at him. “Ready to go kick some zombie ass?”

            “Am I ever,” Jeremy said with a grin. They left through the side door and headed towards Michael’s dorm. Jeremy prayed that his roommate would be there so the chances of them talking about what had happened would go to about zero. Michael’s roommate was a nice guy, but Jeremy knew Michael wouldn’t want to have a talk like that in front of him. Or anyone for that matter. When they got there, the other bed was empty. Jeremy cursed mentally.

            He wasn’t doing his best at Apocalypse of the Damned today. He was tense, constantly bracing himself for Michael to start talking. Though the anticipation was high, the talk never came. Things were relatively normal, save for the tense atmosphere. The two friends still chatted while they played, still cursed when they died, and still groaned when they ran out of lives.

            “Alright, I’ve had enough for today,” Michael grumbled after _GAME OVER_ appeared on the screen for the fifteenth time. He took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes, slicking his hair back with his fingers before putting them back on. Jeremy audibly swallowed. He couldn’t take this. He had to do something.

            “S-so, uh,” he said, voice cracking, “about what I said before rehearsal started.”

            “Don’t worry about it,” Michael said. “I knew you were just teasing.”

            Jeremy blinked. “Right. Yes, teasing tha-that’s definitely what I was doing.”

            Michael looked at him. “…Weren’t you?” Jeremy swallowed again. This was it, wasn’t it?

            “No, not really. I… _do_ think you’re cute. Very cute. Hot even.”

            Michael’s eyes widened as he blushed even more furiously than before. He turned away from Jeremy, one hand over his mouth. “Speak for yourself.”

            “I’m not changing the subject to me,” Jeremy said, though he was red to the tips of his ears. “I’ve always thought you were cute I thought you were cute the day we met, and then I got to know you better and I—” He took a breath to stop himself from rambling. “I got to know you better and I h-had a crush on you and then I got to know you even _better_ and then it got bigger than a crush. And, and well, here we are now. And I can’t stop thinking about holding your hand and kissing you and shit.”

            “I’m gonna have a fucking stroke,” Michael said. “Just shut up, get over here, Heere, and kiss me.”

            Jeremy blushed but obliged. He scooted his bean bag a little closer so that they were sitting right next to each other, knees bumping. Michael turned towards Jeremy and placed one hand on his cheek. Michael’s palm felt warm and comforting on his skin. Jeremy smiled slightly and leaned forward, one hand on Michael’s knee, until their lips met. Michael tasted like a cherry slushie. His lips were soft against Jeremy’s slightly chapped ones, and the way he sighed through his nose while they were kissing made Jeremy melt.

            They broke apart after a few moments. Michael smiled at him, cheeks red and eyes shining. “You’re pretty cute yourself.”

            Jeremy laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I love these boys. My boys. I love them. Expect more boyf riends from me :3c


	6. Red-Handed and Red-Faced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea from a comment Vermilion_Blues left. Pure genius

            “Say ‘hi’ to God,” Brooke sang. An explosion sound effect rang through the speakers, shaking the auditorium, and the lights went out. Jeremy ran into the wings as other cast members scurried past him. He weaved his way through them and went through the halls backstage until he made it to his dressing room. When he opened the door, he found Michael standing there with a bouquet and a grin.

            “Flowers? F-for me?” Jeremy said, blushing. No one had ever given him flowers before.

            “No, they’re for Jake. Am I in the wrong dressing room?” Michael replied.

            Jeremy crossed his arms. “Yeah, his and Rich’s is the next door down. I’m sure he’ll love those.”

            “Of course they’re for you, dumbass,” Michael said with a roll of his eyes. “I wanted to get you some for every performance, but bouquets turned out to be expensive as hell so I figured it would be best just to get you one for the last performance, you know?”

            “Mhm,” Jeremy hummed, grinning. Michael was just too adorable. He put his hands on the taller man’s shoulders, and Michael put his hands on Jeremy’s waist, flowers still in hand. “I love them. Thank you.” He smiled into the kiss that Michael pressed to his lips.

            “So did I get it right? Are roses your favorite?” Michael asked once they’d parted.

            “Yeah, how did you know?”

            “You’re a hopeless romantic. It was pretty easy to figure out.”

            Jeremy grinned and punched his arm. “Oh, shut up.”

            “Make me,” Michael said with a smirk.

            Jeremy responded by kissing him again and wrapping his arms around Michael’s neck. Jeremy grunted as Michael’s grip on him tightened and their bodies were pressed against each other. He countered by shoving his tongue in Michael’s mouth, earning a groan and the feeling of fingers trailing up the back of his shirt and nails digging into his skin. He felt lightheaded.

            “Hey Jeremy bows are going to—HOLY SHIT I FUCKING KNEW IT.”

            Michael and Jeremy jumped away from each other, both of them red in the face. Rich was grinning obnoxiously, punching the air and chanting “I knew it I KNEW IT” over and over. Jeremy blushed even harder and picked up the bouquet of roses that had fallen on the floor.

            “I knew you were dating! You lied to me!” Rich shouted, pointing an accusing finger.

            “W-we weren’t lying when you first asked us if we were!” Jeremy explained quickly. “And keep it down, Rich, they might be able to hear you onstage!”

            “Sorry,” Rich stage whispered. “We’re talking about this at the cast party. Right now we gotta go do bows.”

            “Shit,” Jeremy cursed. “Gotta go!” He kissed Michael on the cheek before heading to the stage with Rich.

            “Gay,” Rich said with a grin.

            “Very gay,” Jeremy said, nodding. “Even gayer than you and Jake.” Rich gasped and put his hand over his heart.

            “How dare you.”

* * *

 

            Bows went by in a blur, as they always did. Jeremy did his best to remember as much as possible. He wanted to savor this moment forever, hand in hand and bowing in sync with his best friends as the audience gave them a standing ovation. Michael and the rest of the stage crew applauded in the wings, beaming. Jeremy grinned mischievously and ran to the stage right wing. He grabbed Michael by the hand and dragged him onstage, motioning for the rest of the crew to follow.

            Jeremy laughed as the crew bowed with flourishes and the applause grew louder. Michael was looking at him, smile wide and eyes bright, and Jeremy had to fight the urge to kiss him. A member ran back to the wings, to the rope that controlled the curtain. Everyone onstage waved to the audience as the curtain was closed, and the audience waved back. Once the curtain was shut, Jake let out a whoop, and everyone cheered.

            “Holy shit,” Jeremy breathed. His hands were shaking violently, and he was on the brink of tears.

            “Our first college production!” Christine cheered. She was crying and smiling at the same time. Jeremy burst out laughing, tears rolling down his face. Christine started laughing too, and they hugged each other tightly. Michael wrapped his arms around both of them.

            “Everyone needs to stop crying or I’m going to cry too,” Brooke said, eyes brimming with tears. Jeremy pulled her into the embrace, and she laughed. Chloe joined in, then Jenna, then Rich, and finally Jake.

            “I’m really gonna miss you guys,” Jeremy said.

            “We’re not going anywhere, tall ass,” Rich said. “Now who’s ready for the cast party?!” The whole cast cheered.

* * *

 

            The cast party was amazing. There was music, food, dancing, and even more food. Jeremy piled his plate high with baked goods and sat next to Michael at their table, where Chloe and Brooke were having an animated discussion about which performance had gone the best. In Jeremy’s mind, they’d all been perfect.

            “OH!” Everyone jumped as Rich stood up, slamming both of his palms on the table. “I almost forgot! Michael and Jeremy have some explaining to do.” Jeremy flushed as everyone’s gazes turned towards him and Michael. He found Michael’s hand under the table and held it tightly, receiving a reassuring squeeze.

            “Explaining for what?” Christine asked, her grin positively evil. It was clear she knew exactly what was going on. She was too smart for her own good. For _anyone’s_ good. Particularly Jeremy’s.

            “Explaining why they didn’t tell any of us they’re dating,” Rich said.

            “Since when?!” Jenna demanded.

            “C-couple weeks,” Michael said.

            “How’d you get together?” Chloe asked, smiling.

            Michael turned to Jeremy, who coughed. “A week before opening night, I t-told him I thought he was cute and uh...we…got tog-gether.”

            “That’s adorable,” Brooke cooed. “How’d you find out, Rich?”

            “Caught them making out in Jeremy’s dressing room before bows,” Rich said smugly. Michael and Jeremy blushed as their friends whistled and waggled their eyebrows.

            “Like you and Jake haven’t done that in yours,” Michael teased.

            “He’s got us there,” Jake said.

            Everyone laughed, except for Jeremy, who was hiding his very red face in his hands. He felt Michael’s arm slip around him and pull him close before pressing a kiss to his hair. Jeremy lifted his head and kissed Michael full on the mouth, earning cheers and whistles. Michael was bright red when he pulled away, but he was smiling. Jeremy’s heart simply melted. He spent the rest of the night with the people he loved, talking and laughing and stuffing his face.

            As much as he loved the rush of adrenaline he got from being onstage, the real reason he was in theater was for people like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE SQUIP SQUAD LOVES EAcH OTHER SO MUCH OKAY;;;;;


End file.
